The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist and driving track warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to his place of employment. The contact stated that after work he started the vehicle and, while driving, the steering seized. The contact used both hands to turn and steer the vehicle. The contact phoned the local dealer and made the dealer aware of the failure. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report to failure to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid steering problems
19 complaints (32% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 66,000.
- owner complaints
- 19
- of this car's complaints
- 32%
- typical mileage
- 66,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
Owners did not name a specific part.
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Lincoln MKZ Hybrid steering problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid steering
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Electric power steering failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate complaints of the loss of power steering while driving. The subject vehicles are equipped with a rack mounted Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) unit.Some of the complaints alleged that the steering assist failed and resulted in increased steering efforts that contributed to a loss of control and in some cases a crash.The EPAS system was manufactured by TRW Automotive for Ford and was designated as Generation I.These units were first produced and put into vehicle production in July 2008 beginning with the model year (MY) 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan.The system is comprised of a mechanical steering rack-and-pinion gear with torque sensor, electric assist motor, motor position sensor and a power steering control module (PSCM). The PSCM is self-monitoring and designed to detect faults within the system and can store diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) if a problem is detected.There are 29 potential DTCs the system can detect.Many of these allow the system to go into reduced-assist steering mode by using the default vehicle speed signal should the live speed signal be lost, if voltage to EPAS system falls below 10.7 or goes above 17 volts, the temperature at the PSCM goes above 105C (221F), or if high friction is detected.Some DTCs will cause the system to go into manual steering mode (no assist). On July 1, 2015, Ford filed a Defect Information Report (DIR) identifying a safety related defect in TRW GEN I EPAS systems installed in some of the subject vehicles (the federal safety agency Recall 15V‑340, Ford No. 15S18).The DIR indicated that intermittent electrical connections caused by quality issues associated with conformal coat contamination and ribbon cable pin misalignment within the steering gear motor may lead to a loss of the motor position sensor signal, resulting in a sudden loss of power assist while driving.The recall covers approximately 393,623 vehicles built from September 2010 through February 2012:2011-12 Fusion built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012; 2011-12 Lincoln MKZ built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012; 2011 Milan built SEP 2010 - DEC 2010; 2011-13 Taurus built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012; 2011-13 Flex with 3.5L GTDI engine built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012; and 2011-13 MKS, MKT with 3.5L GTDI engine built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012.The repair consists of updating the PSCM software to prevent a loss of steering assist while driving. The revised software will provide audible and visual warnings to the driver. If one or more of the following DTCs are stored, C1B00-62, C200B-2F, C200B-61, C200B-62, C200C-2F, C200D-49, U0300-00, U2011-49, U2011-61, U3000-46, U3000-49, U3000-61, U3000-72, U3000-96, P07AE-09, the dealer will replace the EPAS system at no charge to the owner.ODI's analysis of failure data for this PE identified a total of 2,584 complaints to ODI and Ford and 9,967 Ford warranty claims related to the alleged defect.The recalled vehicles account for 1,634 of the complaints and 7,311 of the warranty claims.ODI's analysis identified 40 complaints alleging crashes that may be related to loss of steering assist while driving, 20 of which involved vehicles included in Ford's recall.The information available for the alleged crashes were not sufficient to assess specific causes of the incidents or to verify EPAS malfunctions in each case.Most of the crashes were low-speed impacts with curbs or roadside objects resulting in wheel or minor body damage.None of the injury claims indicated medical attention was required.In addition, statistical modeling of the failure data by the federal safety agency's National Center for Statistics and Analysis projected 10-year failur
PE14030
What 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while her husband was attempting to reverse, he became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, and the vehicle displayed a message stating "Electric Power Steering Assist Fault". The EPS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power steering control module. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was included but the vehicle was already repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 66,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while his grandson was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the power steering control module was reprogrammed; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was determined that the steering gear assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency Hotline. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated while starting the vehicle the steering wheel was firm. The "power steering assist fault" and "service advance trac" messages were displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the steering operated normally. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the recall for the failure had expired and provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was 100,288.
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, there was a beeping sound heard and the "Steering Assist" and "Service Track" warning lights illuminated. The contact stated slightly corrected the steering wheel and became aware that the vehicle had lost power steering functionality. The contact was able to pull off the roadway and shifted the vehicle into park(P) and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted however, the power steering functionality was still inoperable. The contact drove the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 lincoln mkz hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 42 MPH, the power steering failed to operate as the service advanced track and service power steering messages appeared on his instrument panel. The contact called an independent mechanic and was informed that there was a recall on similar model vehicles for a power steering failure however, the VIN was not included. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided the contact with a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 lincoln mkz hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the power steering warning light illuminated with the service power steering now message displayed. The vehicle then loss power steering functionality. The contact stated that the traction control was disabled. The steering wheel became very difficult to turn. The contact stated the vehicle was driven manual steering mode. The contact coasted to the side of the roadway, turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to purchase ford lincoln (1352 us-45, mayfield, ky 42066) but was not repaired. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 lincoln mkz hybrid. The contact stated that the power steering assist malfunctioned and caused the steering wheel to become very difficult to turn in either direction. Also, 'service advancetrac' and 'service steering assist' were displayed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 lincoln mkz hybrid. While driving 25 MPH, the steering failed and the power assist warning indicator illuminated. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 86,000.
Power steering went without any warning has recall on other mkz of that year but not mine. I put it reverse and had no power steering lucky I was not driving when it went out.
Questions about the 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid steering
Does the 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid have steering problems?
Owners have filed 19 complaints about the steering of the 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, 32% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid steering problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 66,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid steering?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid have bad steering?
The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid model years with the most steering complaints are 2012 (19 complaints) and 2011 (13 complaints).
Other 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid problems
Airbags 17Electrical 8Brakes 6Engine 6Body 4Driver assistance 3Fuel system 3Acceleration 2Transmission 2Lights 1Locks 1Seats 1
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